It is time I weigh in on the debate since
it is the question I get asked nearly every day in phone calls
and emails. Everyone wants to know which is better American bred
Dobermans or
European Dobermans. By American bred I don't necessarily
,mean dogs just born in America, I mean dogs bred to the
AKC standard, or dogs in America not bred to any standard.
Nice of me to lump them into that category huh? European
Dobermans to me are dogs bred to the
FCI or international standard or their direct descendents as
long as they continue to be bred to the FCI standard. It seems
funny to me that we call them European since the FCI standard is
used even in central and Southern America. But the first thing
is to understand that there is a difference between the two
standards.

The second thing to understand is that it
doesn't make one better than another, it creates preference. It
does mean that one group will be suited more to what you are
after than another group. Contrary to what most people think
about me, it does not mean that I don't like American Bred dogs.
In fact two of the people that dislike me the most have the most
amazing American bred Dobermans I have ever seen. I can
appreciate their beauty and their closeness to their standard,
the same way I can appreciate the beauty and grace of Arabian
horses while still preferring Quarter horses. I like to train
Quarter horses, I like to ride them, rope off them, cut with
them, I like to be with them. It is the same with Doberman
Pinschers. The Arabian horse wins most every endurance event,
that is what they were created for. They are graceful, efficient
and correct in their movement, but a quarter horse is like the
American muscle car, it is just raw power waiting to explode. So
is this about Cars, or horses or
Doberman Pinschers? It is about Doberman Pinschers of
course!

The point I am trying to make is that the
American Doberman was bred by fanciers and breeders to evolve
into a different type of dog in type, structure and temperament
than the original Doberman from Apolda Germany was. What most
people fail to understand is that the "European
Doberman" or those bred to the FCI standard also evolved to
a different form than the original Herr Doberman dog. Today's
European type
Doberman Pinscher is larger and more heavily boned than it's
ancestors. It's temperament is still adequate for "Work" (by
this we mean
dog sports,
personal protection,
Police work,
Search and rescue,
etc.) but it is considerably less "sharp" than its
predecessor. I don't think I would have liked the original
Doberman Pinscher very much, they were small compact muscle
bound dogs with very sharp temperaments, fiercely loyal to their
owners but wary of anyone else. Many judges and handlers were
bit at shows and otherwise by these "Devil dogs" as they came to
be known by the US military when they were pressed into service
with the Marine corps. They provided a more than valuable
service to our country and our soldiers, and they were perfectly
suited for their job. They saved lives, they protected lives,
but they were loyal to their handlers alone for the most part.
The
European Doberman Pinscher of today is still very protective
and loyal, but much less suspicious. The American bred Doberman
on the other hand as a generalization (naturally there are
exceptions) has had the working temperament bred out of them, as
a "job" was not part of their standard. In Germany the dogs were
not allowed to be bred unless the dog met the breed standard of
conformation, passed hip examinations, passed a temperament
test, and at least one parent had to have a working title such
as a schutzhund title.

This is why the working traits have been
preserved. Now there is also indiscriminant breeding going on
over in Europe and elsewhere but the dog remains fundamentally
different. In America I see two basic groups of Dobermans
evolving in the last 100 years. The first group is the result of
the Dobermans incredible popularity in the early 70's when they
were literally mass produced. The AKC did not have any breeding
regulations, nor does it today with regards to health,
temperament or structure. They have a standard that constantly
gets revised but it is voluntary to adhere to. This first group
of people are the group I call backyard breeders. Not because
the dogs are actually bred in the back yard as I like to joust
with so many people that pass out that label, but because they
don't have a clear goal and standard in mind in their breeding
program. Their motive is only to produce puppies. These are
different than the group I label as
puppy millers. Puppy mills to me are people who on a large
scale produce puppies with only a profit motive, no standard to
breed to or clear program goals, and most importantly the
condition the dogs and puppies are kept in. This one point gets
me in more arguments than any other. But between the Back yard
Breeders (often abbreviated byb's) and the puppy millers often
abbreviated (pm's) they ruined what the Doberman was as well as
what it became. They produced dogs that now range from 45 pounds
on up to over 120 I hear people boast from time to time, and
there is not a set of traits that really identifies them as a
group other than their coloring and the fact that they are
registered as
Doberman Pinschers. There is too much variability in the
group and fails the fundamental definition of a breed which is
that "parents produce like offspring." There is now so much
variability in structure, temperament, marking and even color
that I would not call the offspring "Like" meaning the same as
the parents. There was another group in America that was
breeding dogs with a goal in mind, they are the show people.
They were breeding dogs for the conformation ring. Now I will
say something here that likely will offend many people, but it
doesn't make it any less true. The goal was the structure alone
of the dog, temperament was not fussed about, nor were health
traits. I know there have been some big changes in the last few
years with very good health testing, but one of the most talked
about and bred to studs not long ago also had a history of very
bad temperament, but he was gorgeous so they kept breeding him.
One of my favorite kennels despite their lack of appreciation
for me :) had wobblers in their lines and now the whole line has
been retired in favor of healthier lines now that health testing
and genealogy has become more important.

The American
Doberman Pinscher is a beautiful dog and I can appreciate
their elegance and grace. In my opinion they lack the structure
and power to do their original job. The
Doberman Pinscher was the only breed of dog ever bred
specifically for personal protection. There are many breeds that
do this job well, but they were bred as multi-purpose dogs. The
Doberman was created by Herr Doberman specifically to be a
companion and guard to it's owner. I have not met any American
Champion Dobermans that could adequately perform this job and if
someone has one please bring it over and shut me up as I put on
the bite suit. This to me is why I prefer the European Bred
Doberman Pinscher. They still can do the original job they
were bred for. I love the story of how the Doberman came to our
nations aid in time of war not many years ago, but if the same
call came out today for Doberman Pinschers to be war dogs, the
ones America could send would be predominantly European dogs.
The AKC champions would fail us, the Back yard Bred dogs would
fail us, and the puppy mill dogs would fail us. I now understand
very clearly what it takes for a dog to actually do this kind of
work, and so much of it is bred in to them.

Let's be specific about some
generalizations in the breed standard. American bred Doberman
Pinschers are typically smaller over all, they are shorter at
the withers and lighter than the European Doberman. They are
also finer boned. Those physical traits make them less suited
for working dog sports that I enjoy. If they were slightly
smaller and still had adequate bone they may make better
ring-sport dogs than the standard European Doberman. Very few
Dobermans do well in French ring primarily because of the
palisade wall they must scale and jump off. The typical Doberman
is too heavy to jump 7 to 9 feet with all his weight on his
front end and not sustain injury. The American bred Doberman
lacks the drive and temperament and is too fine boned also for
this task.

Although health testing occurs with most
reputable American Doberman Breeders now, it wasn't always the
case and in my opinion we see higher frequency of many maladies,
and some others that typically do not show up in the European
dog.

So which dog is better American or
European? You can see now it comes down to what you want the dog
for. They both can make great family pets, which is what the
majority of people getting Doberman puppies are interested in.
Generally the European Type Doberman Pinscher is going to be
better suited for working dog sports, but an American bred dog
can still do great with obedience, agility, flyball etc. Some
even track well despite their lack of selection for it. I did
Search and Rescue with American bred Doberman Pinschers, one was
a grandson of my favorite show kennel. But doing SAR with my
European Dobermans has been much more rewarding and easier to
train. I used to pheasant hunt with my American bred Doberman
Pinschers back in 1998 but I have no doubt whatsoever that Ruby
and Athena today would hunt faster with more desire, drive and
stamina. But I never did have a good protection dog from
American lines. I had some that learned the job, but none were
as powerful or as driven for the work, and if I found dogs that
were, they were not as stable in my house with children.

Both the American bred Doberman and the
European Doberman are good dogs for their intended purposes, it
really does come down to preference. You even have some people
crossing the two which although not my goal, since the gene pool
is very shallow anyway, it may save the genetic health of the
breed in the long run.

Naturally my preference is and remains the
European Doberman Pinscher because of the jobs I do with them. I
prefer the health, temperament, size, structure and working
ability of a European Doberman that is why I have them, and that
is why I breed them to share with other people.

If you are looking for Champion bred European
Doberman puppies You have
come to the right place! We breed
Top quality Doberman
Pinschers and place them in homes where they go on to work as
Search and Rescue
dogs, assistance or
service animals,
Personal or
property protection dogs, and compete in a wide range of sports such as
Schutzhund, PSA, Ringsport, agility or obedience. If you are looking for the
best Doberman Puppies for
sale anywhere in the world, we are confident you have found the right place. Our
goal is to provide each perspective new
Doberman owner with
all the information they need to properly raise and train a Doberman Pinscher.
We don't just sell you a Doberman Puppy and forget about you, we are there for
the long haul. We want to know that you are getting the education and
information you need with your new adventure. Raising a Doberman Pinscher puppy
can be a daunting task if you try to do it on your own, but with lifetime
breeder support we will be there for you every step of the way. When you look at
other Doberman puppies for sale from other breeders, beware that you often get
what you pay for. When Dobermans are offered for sale at low prices it can be a
strong indicator of their quality. Likewise many brokers or
puppy millers are
charging far more for their Doberman puppies than they are worth. So just what
is a quality Doberman Pinscher puppy worth? You have to consider the value of
the parents, what have they accomplished? Are they health tested Champion titled
Dobermans or do they rely on the accomplishments of their ancestors? Are they
actively in some kind of training program or competing at some level or are they
neglected kennel dogs? We want you to have the best Doberman Pinscher puppy
possible for your needs. Not every home wants the same thing in a puppy so it is
important to select the right Doberman breeder to work with, who will listen to
your wants and needs and help you to pick the right Doberman Pinscher puppy.

Many breeders offer
Doberman puppies for sale, but be very careful who you get your Doberman
puppy from. Many people sell a Doberman puppy to
homes without
looking in to what is best for the Doberman Pinscher puppy. When we offer a
Doberman Pinscher puppy for
sale, we require references and an
application to
help screen where our Doberman puppy for sale will go. We do not want our
Doberman puppies for sale to end up in Doberman rescue groups, animal shelters
or unfit homes. We have a
long history of offering only the best Doberman puppies for sale to the best
homes. We then support the
family and their new Doberman Pinscher puppy for life with phone calls, emails,
and even visits. We often travel out of state to see the Doberman puppies we had
for sale now all grown up in their new homes. I find it very important to follow
our Doberman Pinscher puppies from birth throughout the rest of their life.
Keeping good contact with the Doberman breeder you can rely on their many years
of experience as you work through problems with raising and training young
Doberman Pinscher puppies. We have offered over the years Doberman puppies for
sale to homes for a large variety of jobs such as protective
family companions,
pet therapy,
search and rescue,personal protection,
service work,
dog sport,
conformation ring or many other tasks. It is important when you are
looking at Doberman puppies for sale that you pick one that is suited to the job
you have picked for it. Many Doberman puppies for sale could never place well in
a show ring. If having a champion Doberman puppy is important to you, then be
sure to pick your Doberman puppy for sale from a quality Doberman breeder such
as FamilyDobes who raises Champion Doberman Pinscher puppies from our own
Champion Doberman Pinschers. If you want to do search and rescue with your
Doberman Pinscher puppy, be sure to get your Doberman from a top Doberman
breeder like FamilyDobes who has trained and worked in Search and Rescue and
knows what to look for in the Doberman puppies for sale to ensure success. Have
you ever given much though to Schutzhund sport? Many Doberman breeders advertise
that their Doberman puppies for sale would be suitable for schutzhund. Be very
careful of Doberman breeders who claim this and have never trained a dog for
Schutzhund or other dog sport. Using Dobermans for Schutzhund sport is an art
form, they are not like other breeds. Doberman Pinschers train and handle
differently and if you want your Doberman Pinscher puppy to grow up and be
successful in Schutzhund then work with a quality Doberman Breeder such as
FamilyDobes who has trained and trialed Doberman Pinschers for Schutzhund sport.
When evaluating and selecting a Doberman Pinscher puppy for sale, there are
qualities that will give a higher probability of success when properly selected.
It is then very important to lay the correct foundation for your Doberman
Pinscher puppy with proper socialization, training and a reward system. Doberman
Pinschers unlike other breeds do not respond well to harsh correction, they
prefer to be motivated and rewarded. Consider this when choosing your Doberman
puppy for sale. In this increasingly tough economy and society more and more
people are looking to Doberman Pinschers for personal protection and to guard
their homes. Doberman Pinschers can make a good guard animal if properly
selected from all the Doberman Pinscher puppies for sale. You will need to
select a Doberman puppy that is dominant and outgoing, eager to explore new
things. Do not settle for Doberman puppies for sale from breeders who have never
trained personal protection, or from Doberman breeders who offer Doberman
puppies for sale from parents that have not been trained and tested. Temperament
is the most important single thing in a protection trained Doberman. The dog
must remain social and dependable in the home, safe around family and children
and be able to give his life to protect them if asked. Doberman Pinschers are
very loyal to their family but that alone will not be adequate. Many people
assume that because their Doberman Pinscher loves them it will protect them. A
Doberman Pinscher puppy may grow up and bond to a family and that Doberman puppy
may even want to protect the family, but without the proper training and
temperament, it will not be able to. Contrary to what people think, Doberman
Pinschers do not want to bite people, it takes a great deal of training to teach
a Doberman Pinscher puppy to have enough confidence to bite a person and still
be safe around them. This is a long process that started by picking the right
Doberman puppy for sale from a Doberman breeder that understands this and
selects for these temperament traits. With the right guidance a Doberman puppy
from FamilyDobes will turn into just such a protection dog. You simply can not
buy a cheap Doberman puppy for sale and expect this kind of work. You can not
buy from a Doberman Breeder who does not temperament test his breeding dogs with
personal training and recognized testing. Doberman puppies for sale from
Doberman breeders who do not health test to make better decisions should not be
expected to live long enough to serve their family. To get the best Doberman
Pinscher puppy for sale you must choose the best Doberman breeder. A Doberman
Pinscher that is protective by nature and desire alone is not enough. Your
Doberman Pinscher puppy must go through rigorous training with a qualified
trainer. This is not a type of training that you can do yourself. Personal
Protection training with your Doberman puppy must be done by experienced
trainers who know how to keep themselves safe as well as your Doberman puppy and
still manage to teach the Doberman puppy proper techniques and confidence. Again
I can not stress enough how important it is for you to pick a Doberman puppy for
sale with proper temperament. Do you want to increase your chances of picking
the right Doberman puppy for sale? Call Steve at FamilyDobes and ask why they
confidently guarantee the temperament of all of their Doberman puppies for sale.
Do you want to increase the chance that your Doberman puppy will live a long
healthy life? Call Family Dobes and ask Steve about their health guarantee. Not
all Doberman puppies for sale are equal, a Doberman breeder like FamilyDobes
cares that you pick the right Doberman puppy for sale to fit your family's
needs. Simply put the very best Doberman Puppies for sale come from the best
Doberman breeders, and are raised by the most responsible owners. Are you
selecting a Doberman puppy for sale that will go on to do Pet therapy? There are
many temperament tests involved and many hours of training for pet therapy dogs.
You can not expect to pass the rigid temperament tests if you do not have a
Doberman puppy that is predisposed to those traits. I could not spend the time
required to train for pet therapy with my Doberman puppies only to find they did
not have suitable temperament in the end, it would be exhausting and
disappointing. Increase the odds that your Doberman puppy will pass the
temperament tests by selecting the right Doberman puppy for sale to begin with.
Work with a quality Doberman breeder and listen to their advice and feedback on
particular Doberman puppies. You need a Doberman puppy that is confident and
sure and not overly driven. The Doberman puppy for sale that you pick should
have enough drive to motivate their behaviors, but more than that and they want
to chase every ball that is thrown. This can only be overcome with extensive
training of your Doberman Pinscher until you have established very good control.
Is your Doberman puppy going to simply be a family companion? Why not have the
best Doberman puppy for your family? Is your family active or laid back? Do you
spend a lot of time outdoors with your Doberman puppy? Do you prefer to stay
around the house with your Doberman puppy? When looking at Doberman puppies for
sale, be sure you are looking to a Doberman breeder that will have the right
Doberman puppy for sale for your needs. There is nothing more frustrating than
raising a very high energy high drive Doberman pinscher puppy in a house that is
generally laid back. Also it is hard for people who want to be very active with
their Doberman Pinscher puppy to select a Doberman puppy for sale that would
rather stay home curled up on his bed. I like throwing the ball or Frisbee for
my Doberman Pinscher puppies, but the fun only comes with a Doberman puppy that
will chase after it and bring it back to me. If I picked a Doberman puppy for
sale from a Doberman breeder that had only low energy low drive dogs, I would
not get what I wanted in my Doberman puppy. I would work with a good Doberman
breeder to ensure I got the right Doberman Pinscher puppy for sale. Some people
still use Doberman Pinschers for service work. The Doberman Pinscher was the
only breed ever created specifically for personal protection. It is my assertion
that Doberman Pinschers are great for Police and military service work. The
Doberman Pinscher dog is the official dog of the US Marine corps and served our
country faithfully during WWII. There is a a special memorial for the Doberman
Pinscher on the island of Gaum, and a fantastic movie available about their
service work. If you pick the right Doberman puppy for sale, you will have a dog
that can go on to do successful narcotics detection, tracking and street K9
work. The Doberman Pinscher is a willing and loyal partner and their short coat
make grooming a breeze. Pick the right Doberman puppy for sale from a Doberman
breeder like Family Dobes and you will have a partner that will exceed your
expectations. Doberman Pinschers are agile and fast, and have an intimidating
look that Hollywood has capitalized on all ensuring that bad guys will have an
inherit fear of your Doberman Pinscher companion. I have done a lot of scent
work and tracking with Doberman Pinschers and you too will find that they have
wonderful noses. This of course assumes you picked your Doberman puppy from
lines that are suited to work, and that of all the Doberman puppies for sale,
you picked one with not only the right temperament and natural ability, but good
health traits to ensure many years of faithful service. Have you ever thought of
using a Doberman Pinscher for assistance work? Many people are now seeing the
advantage of Doberman Pinschers for medical alert dogs, medical service dogs,
bracing dogs or other assistance dogs. The intelligence of the Doberman Pinscher
is in my opinion unsurpassed. They want to work, and they want to solve
problems. You can see a Doberman Pinscher carry over learning from earlier
problems and apply it to current ones. Picking the right Doberman puppy for sale
is crucial if you want a certified assistance or service animal. There are very
few Doberman breeders who have had experience with assistance animals, but Steve
at FamilyDobes will be happy to help you pick the right Doberman puppy for sale
for service work if that is your goal.